Dining napkin training clip for children

ABSTRACT

A device for securing a napkin to a child&#39;s clothing is disclosed. The device is an teaching aid used to teach a child how to behave at the dining table like grown-ups. It helps in establishing correct eating manners, encourage proper posture during the meal, and teaches the proper usage of dining napkins.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure is for a device that detachably holds a diningnapkin or other soft object to an article of clothing. Particular to theusage in the training and care of children, the device features roundededges and corners, and may be constructed from a soft, resilientmaterial for safety concerns.

2. Background

In bringing up children, it is often a great challenge to teach themproper manners at the dining table. Children can be rambunctious andhave short attention spans when it comes to sitting still during a meal.It is also common for young children to spill food on themselves wheneating. Bibs or trays are commonly used to protect against eatingmishaps at a young age, but as a child grows older this quickly becomesimpractical and unseemly.

When a child graduates to the use of dining napkins from using bibs, thedining napkin often winds up on the floor numerous times during thecourse of a meal. This is usually a result of improper posture, a lackof sitting still, or simply because the child is not consciously awareof the napkin on his lap. It would be beneficial to have a device thatwould act as the proverbial “training wheels” for dining napkins totrain a child in their proper use. The device would be used to secure anapkin to a child's clothing to protect against food spillage, and toassist in developing proper eating manners. It is also desirable for thedevice to be simple and safe to operate, so that even children can useit by themselves.

In attaching a dining napkin to the person, there are numerous napkinholding devices and clips known in the prior art. However, these devicesmay pose certain dangers when used with a child because they may utilizestrong clamping mechanisms and sharp construction, and are only intendedfor adult use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,756 issued to Howard on Oct. 16,2001, entitled “Clip,” illustrates a device that has large, sharpclamping teeth, which are fully exposed when the device is in the openposition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,487 issued to Ochsman on Jun. 22, 1999,entitled, “Wearable Clamp for Releaseably Holding a Napkin or OtherFlexible Substrate and Method for Wearing a Napkin or Other FlexibleSubstrate,” is comprised of a planar base hingedly connected to amovable jaw and carries an L-shaped lever and a spring clip. The movablejaw is sharp and the construction has many components.

Other designs utilize a thin cord or string element to suspend theclipped napkin over clothing, which may pose a danger to children ifswallowed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,284 issued to Juda et al. on Jan. 7,2003, entitled “Clothing Protective Device,” discloses a pair ofclipping halves that is connected by means of a string or decorativechain which is to be draped around the neck of the user. Similarly, U.S.Pat. No. 6,836,899, issued to Glasmire on Jan. 4, 2005, entititled“Device for Detachable Holding an Absorbent Napkin Across the Torso,”describes a device that features magnetic clipping ends that are alsoconnected by a cord. Both devices may not be suitable for use withyounger children.

Furthermore, most napkin clips and holders cover only the upperextremities starting from the neck of the user. For instance, U.S. Pat.No. 4,425,680 issued to Basseches et al. on Jan. 17, 1984, entitled“Napkin Clip,” describes a clip which may be attached to an upperclothing portion below the chin of a wearer. The absorbent napkin isinserted into this tie clip-like device. This device, however, doesnothing to train children in the proper etiquette and use of diningnapkins, and in fact simply wears the napkin like a bib.

What is needed is a device for securing a napkin to a child's clothing,which is used to teach the child how to behave at the dining table likegrown-ups. It helps in establishing correct eating manners, encourageproper posture during the meal, and teaches the proper usage of diningnapkins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view showing an embodiment of the presentdevice.

FIG. 2 depicts a side view shown with an inner gripping surface.

FIG. 3 depicts a front view of the present device.

FIG. 4 depicts the device in perspective phantom view showing an innergripping surface.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrating theattachment of an absorbent napkin to a clothing surface.

FIG. 5 a is a cross sectional view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 6 a shows a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 b shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 in closedposition.

FIG. 6 c shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 in open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of the instant device. A clip 100 has asingle piece U-shaped body 102 consisting of two oppositely alignedgripping sections 106 and 108. The body is fabricated from semi-rigidmaterials such as plastic, rubber or hard foam, such that the clip caneasily be opened, even by a child. In alternate embodiments, the bodycan be made of wood, metal, cardboard or any other material known orconvenient. The clamping force exerted by the U-shaped body 102 shouldbe such that the clip will return to a closed position when opened, butwill not clamp down suddenly on fingers. The clamping force should besufficient enough to secure a paper napkin, yet the clip should be ableto easily open wide enough to accommodate and secure thicker clothnapkins.

The edges and corners of the body 102 are rounded to provide safety. Inalternate embodiments, the body 102 may be coated in a soft covering tofurther aid in safety.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show an alternate embodiment of the device featuringgripping components 202 a and 202 b located on the inner surfaces ofgripping sections 106 and 108. These components may be constructed fromsoft materials such as rubber or felt to permit easy attachment andremoval of articles. With these gripping elements, the gripping sectionsdo not need to assert much force in securing the napkin. The napkin maysimply be secured by friction from the gripping components 202 a and 202b acting on the napkin.

In alternate embodiments, the gripping components 202 a and 202 b mayhave patterns that aid in gripping, such as small ridges or teeth. FIG.4 depicts one such embodiment in phantom view, having grippingcomponents 201 a (not shown) and 202 b with integral rows of ridges 401.These patterns may differ in size and shape in alternate embodiments.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 a demonstrate the attachment of a paper or clothdining napkin 501 to an article of clothing 502. To use the device, theclip 100 is opened and one gripping surface tucked inside the waistband503 or side pocket 504 of the child's pants, shorts or dress. (FIG. 5 adepicts the inner gripping surface that is tucked inside the article ofclothing 502.) The dining napkin 501 can then be slid between the secondgripping section facing outwards and the article of clothing, therebysecuring the napkin to the article of clothing. The napkin is meant tobe placed across the lap of the child (see FIG. 5), just like grown-ups.Alternatively, the clip may be also be used to secure a napkin toclothing of the upper body for eating foods that may create a mess.

A dining napkin may be gripped by the clip and remain secured to anarticle of clothing, as long as the child does not exhibit excessivemovements during the meal. It is not an object of the invention toprovide a gripping force that can withstand such movements, but ratheraid the child in developing proper eating manners and napkin usage byreinforcement. If the napkin does slip from the clip, the child can beinformed gently that he is not behaving properly at the dining table,such as not staying still, letting his legs slip off the chair, orgenerally not maintaining a good sitting posture.

In a further embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the clip 600 comprises a tophalf 601 and a bottom half 602 connected by spring means 603. The springmeans assert pressure on the halves to keep the clip in a closedposition, as depicted in FIG. 6 b. A slight pressure is applied by auser's fingers to tabs 601 a and 602 a aft of the spring means 603 toopen the clip. While the clip is in its open position, it can be clampedonto an article of clothing and a dining napkin in a similar manner asdiscussed above. The spring means exert just enough pressure to hold adining napkin to the article of clothing when the clip returns to itsclosed position, as depicted in FIG. 6 b. This ensures that a child willnot be injured by the clip suddenly snapping or clamping down on thechild's extremities. Further, this embodiment has a rounded shape withno sharp corners, and is preferably made of a soft and pliant materialfor increased safety for use around children.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed isintended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

1. A device for training children in using dining napkins, comprising: abody portion consisting of substantially planar halves, said planarhalves having oppositely aligned gripping sections, and said bodyportion exerting a resistance that holds the oppositely aligned grippingsections in a closed position.
 2. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one gripping component integral with the innersurfaces of said gripping sections.
 3. The device of claim 1, whereinthe body portion is fabricated from semi-rigid material.
 4. The deviceof claim 1 wherein said body portion is fabricated from materialsselected from the group consisting of rubber, plastic, gel, and hardfoam.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said body portion consists of asoft and resilient material.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein saidgripping component is constructed of a soft and resilient material. 7.The device of claim 1 wherein said gripping component has asubstantially smooth surface such that articles may be easily insertedand removed.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said gripping sections areenabled to fit closely against inserted articles.
 9. The device of claim1 wherein the resistance exerted by the body portion returns thegripping sections to a closed position gradually.
 10. The holding deviceof claim 1 wherein said resistance exerted by the body portion issufficient to secure a napkin.
 11. The holding device of claim 1 whereinsaid resistance may be easily overcome to permit the insertion andremoval of articles.
 12. A device for training children in using diningnapkins, comprising a body portion consisting of two planar halves, saidplanar halves having oppositely aligned gripping sections, and springmeans to exert a resistance that holds the oppositely aligned grippingsections in a closed position.
 13. The device of claim 12, furthercomprising tab means for a user to exert pressure to counter theresistance of said spring means to place the oppositely aligned grippingsections in an open position.
 14. The device of claim 12, wherein saiddevice is constructed of a soft material chosen from the groupconsisting of rubber, foam and gel.
 15. The device of claim 12, whereinsaid resistance exerted by said spring means will return, in a gradualmanner, the oppositely aligned gripping sections to the closed positionfrom an open position.
 16. A method for training a child in the properetiquette of using a dining napkin at a dining table, comprising:providing a device that can secure a dining napkin to an article ofclothing worn by the child; said device having a clamping force that isjust sufficient to secure said napkin to the article of clothing if thechild sits relatively still at the dining table; said clamping forcebeing insufficient to secure said napkin to the article of clothing ifsaid child exercises excessive movements at the dining table; informingthe child of his inappropriate behavior once the napkin becomesunsecured due to the child's movements.